The Party
by AwesomeSaucelv8
Summary: Follow the adventures of Gumi, the knight-in-training, Meiko, the washed up brawler, Ia, the silent hunter, Cul, the kleptomaniac and rogue, and Miki, the gentle and timid healer. Together, they face all kinds of challenges from giant spiders to demons, to the lowest level of the 666 layers of the abyss and back again. Or maybe not THAT far...
1. Chapter 1: of deserts and spiders

**Oh my gawd. Two fics in one day holy crud what the heck. I know. The world must be going crazy.**

**This one was spawned from a particularly awesome picture of Gumi as a knight I found while surfing the interwebs. Then I fleshed out the characters and drew a picture. And the rest wrote itself.**

**I also played a lot of Thief, Dungeons and Dragons and listened to an insane amount of Kaoling.**

**This was originally meant to be an introductory chapter for Gumi, but I changed it halfway through, a bit. If this gets enough love, I might write a proper introduction for her. Gosh I actually really like these characters, even if the 'fight' scene is really lazy and crap... But the only way to improve is practice, right? Right?**

**Right.**

**Now, I AM currently writing a gift fic for Ten-Faced which is also fantasy based, so I wanted this one to be a little different. Most likely, if anything here seems a bit odd or discontinu...ous... Then it is on purpose.**

**Now that I've said all that, read the actual fic! XD**

**_Gumi: The knight_.**

* * *

If you were to ask Gumi how she felt, it would be hot. And sweaty.

"I'm so hot and sweaty!" The green-haired squire puffed, wiping her brow with a heavy gauntlet.

"Well, take off your armour then," Miki said, ever the voice of reason.

"Well, where am I meant to put it? In my pack?" Gumi held up a cloth pack to prove her point.

"Doesn't it fold?"

"Do you fold?"

Miki sighed. Trying to argue with Gumi was like trying to move a tree. Not happening.

"Maybe we should just turn ba-"

"No!" Gumi stopped suddenly, causing the thief behind her to walk face-first into her pack. "We've come this far. I'm _definitely_ finding this bloody sword, I swear on my knightly honour!"

"You aren't a knight yet," Said Meiko testily, carrying both Miki's pack and her own, her battleaxe swung over her shoulder. "And it isn't that hot."

Gumi grit her teeth and matched Meiko's pace a few steps ahead of the group. Miki shook her head.

"She'll never learn, will she?"

"I'm afraid not," Ia spoke up, in her quiet voice. The archer was obviously uncomfortable but showed no signs of weakness. "She's still very immature."

Turning her gaze back to the front, Miki wondered.

Would there ever be an end to these endless hills of sand?

The day passed on to noon, and Meiko declared that the party have a rest for half an hour under a large dune of sand, partially protected from the sun. Cul flopped down on her back, a cloud of sand puffing up around her. Her red hair was strewn about her head. Ia followed suit, sitting cross-legged and reading from her old tome. Meiko smacked the packs in the middle of the group.

"Do you still have that map, Miki?" She asked. Miki held out a rolled up piece of parchment, yellowed with age.

"This is the only map the innkeeper had, Meiko, so don't be mad if it isn't entirely accurate…"

Meiko snatched the map from Miki's hands wordlessly, studying the paper intently. After a moment's consideration, she said,

"I have a feeling we're headed in the wrong direction."

Groans arose from every member of the group, especially Cul, who flipped her hood over her head. Gumi got up, angry.

"You mean to say you've been taking us in the wrong direction?"

"No, but the desert may have altered our original path a little-"

"Gods be damned, Meiko! Give me the map!"

Meiko placed the map in Gumi's empty palm, her eyebrow twitching.

"Last time you tried reading the map, you got us lost in a spider's den," She reminded the squire, who rolled her eyes.

"At least there was loot there!" Cul piped up, rogueish smile on her face. "It wasn't a total loss!"

"Shut up, taffers." Gumi swore.

Miki, Ia and Cul waited by the dune as another argument played out between the two fighters.

"Those two make more noise than a mating mastodon," Cul said, blandly. Ia gave her a disapproving look, and Cul turned her attention to her trusty dagger. Miki, with nothing better to do, polished her oaken staff, muttering a few divine prayers under her breath. Or perhaps they were curses.

"That's it then, oh brave and bold knight," They heard Meiko spit. "Show us the way with your god-given powers, if you will!"

Gumi said nothing as she collected her own pack from where it lay. Miki looked up.

"Going so soon? Surely we can wait a bit longer?" She asked, but Gumi's eyes had hardened in that stubborn way and she sighed. "Well, then. Cul, Ia, we're moving again."

Cul complained as she picked up her pack and tucked her dagger back in her boot. ("I should have stayed in Paladinus, at least then I wasn't sweltering hot following some moron of fighter.") Ia hefted her own small pack, quiver and short bow and followed without complaint.

Gumi led the party with tensed up shoulders, not bothering to slow down even for poor Miki, who was struggling to keep up. Meiko said nothing, fingering her belt as they walked. The shadows drew longer and longer, and yet all they could see on all sides was sand, sand, and more sand.

"This is hopeless!" Gumi screamed, hands curled into fists, shaking at the sky as if it was to blame. "We should be there! _We should be there!_"

Miki put a hand on Gumi's shoulder, who was now crouched over the sand in frustration.

"It's okay, Gumi. Calm down. I'm sure if we stop and search…" She soothed. The green-haired squire looked up, at the horizon.

"Stop and searched…"

"Yeah, that's what I said-"

Gumi paid her no mind.

"Cul! Do you remember what the innkeeper said?" She asked, and Cul shrugged.

"Of course. He said that no traveller had ever made it through the desert alive, and those that did came back as changed men."

"I mean the other one."

"Oh, he also gave us a little dangly medal thing and told us it gave him luck."

Gumi clapped her gauntlets together.

"That's it!"

Meiko looked at her as if she were insane.

"What's it, exactly?"

"The innkeeper told us it gave him luck _when he found something he had lost._"

Gumi looked on to her comrades, who all shared blank stares.

"Oh come on, it's not that hard!" She cried, "The sword's lost, isn't it?"

Realisation dawned on Ia's face.

"Ah, I see… You intend to use the amulet as a seeking device," She said simply. Cul looked sad to have to part with her precious amulet.

"Yes! Yes! Exactly that!" Gumi grabbed the medal off of Cul without her consent, and with a cry of anguish, and hold it low to the ground. Meiko still looked as sceptical as ever.

"I really don't think this is going to work…" She began, but was silenced by Gumi. A silent minute passed, before Gumi tapped on the ground, eyes wide with excitement. With vigour, she began to dig away the sand with her hands, scooping up piles of fine yellow dust which blew away in the wind.

"I've found it!" She cried, punching the air, this time in victory. Her previously sceptical group crowded around with interest, peering into the modest hole she had dug.

"… it's an old timber frame." Meiko stated dryly, but the ecstatic Gumi was not to be deterred.

"Help me dig it out!" She commanded. Miki rushed to her aid, as did Ia, while Cul traced the wood and surveyed the item in question. Meiko stood back, arms folded.

When the team finished their work, they stepped back and admired it. It looked like a door frame laid flat on its side, with no door and intricate carvings all around the outside. With a gasp, Miki exclaimed, "It's magic! I bet you it's magic! These carvings are quite definitely of magical nature!"

Gumi pointed a finger at Ia.

"Ia, can you do a reading?"

Raising her necklace, which was previously hidden, to the door, she proclaimed it so.

"Told you, Meiko!" Gumi grinned. Meiko just shook her head in disbelief.

"You've outdone yourself this time, kiddo."

With a heave, the five comrades pushed the heavy frame upright, and with an inaudible hum, it rose of its own accord and hovered just the slightest way from the ground, glowing with magical force. Curious, Gumi threw a pinch of sand into the portal. Nothing happened. Cul crept up to it and felt it with her fingers, tracing the carvings.

"This'd sell for hundreds…" She hummed. Ia slapped her hand and she withdrew, relenting. "I'll bet it transports. I've heard of 'em before. Throw something else in."

Gumi threw a gold coin from her pack.

"Anything but that!" Cul bemoaned. "t didn't come out the other side!"

The group gasped and went to investigate, and found what Cul said to be true.

"How do we know what's on the other side?" Miki asked, a little bit frightened. Gumi smirked.

"We jump, of course."

Miki paled.

"Who'll go first?" Gumi surveyed her team. Cul promptly jumped in the portal, vanishing into thin air.

"Okay, then… next? I think a should, just in case Cul gets any ideas."

Ia nodded and followed with much less gusto yet far more grace.

Meiko approached the portal.

"How do we know it's safe on the other side?" She asked, cautious. Gumi shrugged her shoulders, making her armour scrape against each other.

"Don't know. We'll have to rely on luck, I guess. Got us this far." She said, and Meiko had no choice but to agree.

Then it was just Gumi and Miki left, and the latter did not look like she was ready to enter the portal just yet.

"Come on, Miki, don't be such a sourpuss. What's a little adventure going to hurt ya?"

Miki shivered.

"What if it leads to Hell? Or the Abyss? We'll never make it out alive!"

"There's just as much chance of it leading to the Seven heavens, and you'll only find out if you try."

With this simple logic, Gumi extended a hand to Miki, who took it tentatively, sweating palms making it difficult to grasp onto the gauntlet. Without warning, Gumi sprung away, swooping Miki close to her so as to prevent escape, and jumped right into the portal. Miki screamed.

* * *

Miki was still screaming when they fell out of the portal and dropped unceremoniously to the ground a foot below. Luckily, Gumi had, intentionally or not, placed herself under Miki and thus received the brunt of the impact. A stone's throw away, Ia and Meiko were rubbing bruises, while Cul was on her feet and alert.

"This place reeks of treasure! Old abandoned temples… nothin' like it!"

"Shut up, taffer." Gumi grumbled, picking herself up from the floor in an attempt to reserve some of the knightly pride she still had. If she were a real knight, she wouldn't be stuck in a desert fetching an ancient artefact for an old and wizened man. If she were a real knight, she'd be slaying dragons, riding atop horseback and saving fair maidens… Not to mention having a full suit of plate armour, and a cape. Preferably red, with green trimmings…

"Oi!" Meiko's harsh voice brought Gumi back down to Earth. "Genius! You got us here, now what?"

"I'm thinking, I'm thinking. Hey, feel free to think for yourselves as well, guys,"

Everyone assumed thinking poses.

"Okay, I say we split up and explore."

This was met by rows of disagreement.

"Split up? That's dangerous!"

"We'll only have one fighter each. That can't be good."

"I go with Ia! I claim!"

"How are we going to know which way to go?"

Gumi clicked her fingers to gain everyone's attention, and when that didn't work, she shouted, "Hey!" and there was quiet.

"Thank you. It's not like it's the first time we've had to do this-"

"Last time we split up I ended up with food poisoning!"

"- And besides, we'll do the job quicker."

"I agree," Cul chipped in, "It's not like anything'll be in here, anyways. It's old as Hell!"

To prove her point, Cul kicked at the floor, causing a layer of dust to rise into the air.

"If anything lived here, they'd have been attracted by the noise, surely."

Miki nodded and Gumi grinned sheepishly. Ia strung her bow.

"Alright. We'll split," Meiko nodded. "But stay close, everyone. We don't want to be too far away if something bad happens."

The group agreed enthusiastically, with Meiko, Ia and Cul in one group and Gumi and Miki in the other. This took much debate seeing as Ia and Cul worked best in a team and Gumi insisted working with Miki. Meiko warned that it may be better off for her to go in Gumi's stead, but the girl refused. She had a code of honour to live up to, after all!

* * *

The dark tunnels persisted for the better part of an hour, and by the end of it, Gumi was less anxious and more fed up.

"Is there going to be _anything_ here or what?" She growled, sword still drawn but held loosely. "It's exactly the kind of place we were told to look for. _And there's nothing taffing here!_"

Miki bonked her friend on the head with the tip of her staff.

"Don't be acting so silly," She said, "You can't let your guard down, even in here. You never know what might await around the corner…"

"Oh, come off it, you sound like grumpy old Meiko," Gumi grumbled, but complied. At least this place had good ventilation.

* * *

Meiko, Ia and Cul came running back to the start. That was unintentional. The start, that is, not the running.

"Is it still after us?" Cul panted, hands rested on her knees. Her pouch jingled with treasure.

"I think- I think we lost it…" Meiko replied between breaths.

"Cul, why must you be such a kleptomaniac?" Ia, who had recovered her breath quickly, asked while shaking her head. "I do admit that your skills can be useful, but you must learn to control your desires!"

"I'm sorry, Ia, I tried!" Cul snarled, turning away. "But you'll be thankin' me later when I get us a warm bed and some good tucker when we get back."

"_If_ we get back," Meiko corrected glumly. "We searched everywhere and no damned sword, no damned exit, nothing! It's like a death trap!"

"Couldn't we just… oh, I see. The portal's gone. Darn."

The trio sat in silence and contemplated, making faces at each other in the dark where no one could see them.

* * *

Gumi and Miki, knight and healer, were unaffected by such troubles. In fact, they were unaffected by, well, pretty much anything.

"Nothing," said Gumi, "Is happening. And I'm getting quite bored."

"That's the fifth time you've said that, Gu- ACK A GIANT SPIDER GUMI KILL IT!"

A leather boot came down on the menace.

"There, dead." Gumi squashed it around for extra measure, leaving a patch of black spider guts on the stone floor.

"Disgusting."

"Deal with it."

This momentary distraction was distracting enough for the two not to notice the _actual_ menace; a black, furry cave spider with eight humongous eyes and two pincers as big as Miki's head, with legs that touched the roof. It hissed its displeasure.

Gumi turned around, fearless.

"Whoa, big spider!" She clutched at her sword, fearlessness gone. Miki shuddered.

"Gumi…"

Gumi turned tail and fled.

"Run!"

With an overgrown spider chasing them down, the two ran for their lives.

They finally reached a dead end. The corridor stopped completely, stopping at a slimy, moss-covered wall. A small, human-sized window let in a little light at least three feet above their heads. The spider was closing in quickly.

"If only Cul were here, she'd be able to scale the wall in time…" Gumi cursed, balling her hands into fists. "We're going to have to fight it."

"Fight it!?" Miki look shocked. The healer was not one for combat. "But-"

"What offensive spells do you have?"

Miki recalled the tome she had spent all night studying, and a good twenty minutes in the desert.

"Magic missile… but that's the only one I know that'll come in handy."

"Ready it!"

Without warning, the spider hissed and lunged out of the darkness. Gumi stepped in front of Miki to allow the healer some time to ready her magic. "Tell me when!" She shouted, then engaged the spider in combat.

The monstrosity was similar to a huntsman spider, only on a hugely enlarged scale. Gumi wondered whether her sword would even damage it.

With her strongest swing, Gumi brought her sword down on the spider and the metal embedded itself in the monster's forearm. It didn't flinch. Gumi's sword was stuck in the flesh and she couldn't pull it out.

"Ack!" She said as she was thrust backwards into the wall, armour preventing any serious injury. Her sword was still inside the beast.

"Miki! Don't you have some sort of transmuting spell? A-" She dodged spitting acid. "- fire spell, or-" Another dodge. "Something?!"

Miki was frantic. Words from a spell she had memorised came to her tongue unbidden, and without warning, she thrust her hands in front of her, robes billowing, and shouted a few magic words. Flames burst from her hands and the spider shrunk back, frightened. It chattered nervously.

"You keep doing that, Miki!" Gumi encouraged, picking herself up and sneaking sideways so as to get to her sword. "It really doesn't like fire, eh?"

Miki suddenly stopped and fell back in a faint.

"Damn, bloody magic users," Gumi cursed.

The spider saw the fire had gone and moved in for the kill, fangs open, ready to encase Miki in its powerful web…

"Hya!"

Its arm suddenly came off at the joint. Gumi stood and crowed, her sword in her hand, dripping ochre onto the floor.

"Spider's can't hurt me! Let's see what you can do!"

Seeing a new threat, the beast turned towards Gumi and reared up. The human would pay for causing it pain.

Gumi suddenly grew very brave. Spiders were her specialty, weren't they? Even if Ia had more experience with these kind of creatures, Gumi certainly outdid that pack of spiders back in the mineshaft…

With the one forearm it had left, the spider lunged at Gumi. She ducked out of the way, her helmet deflecting most of the attack. Annoyed, the spider hissed and spat out a sticky, green acid. Knowing the stakes were much higher this time round, Gumi did a forwards roll and ended up crouched underneath the giant spider's towering body. Panting hard, she stabbed her sword upwards.

A horrible screech filled the air, making Gumi wince and Miki wake to a thudding headache.

"Gumi look out!"

The knight barely had enough time to pull out her sword as the monster collapsed on top of her.

"Gumi!"

In response, the spider shrugged and Gumi appeared underneath it, covered in spider blood.

"Gumi!" Miki sighed, this time with relief instead of worry. Her staff glowing, she pointed it at Gumi and at once the girl felt rejuvenated.

"Thanks, Miki. Now, we have to find a way through here. If I know temples, then this wall will have a secret tunnel…"

The duo spent the next while searching here and there, twisting different bricks and attempting to climb the window,

Meiko, Ia and Cul found them still there, even after they had retrieved the sword.

"What," Said a dishevelled looking Meiko, her sleeve tattered slightly. "The bloody Hell are you two doing?"

"Looking for a secret tunnel, that's what!"

Meiko snorted. "The sword wasn't even this way. I have no idea why you'd end up down here, seeing as the sign back there clearly said not to enter, this was a spider's nest."

Gumi and Miki looked at each other in defeat.

"If this is a nest, then where are the other spiders…?"

They heard a hissing from all around them.

* * *

Several days later, five adventurers entered the seaport of Crycia. A hunter, a thief, a warrior, a healer, and trailing behind, a knight-in-training.

"Hurry up, Gumi," Meiko called from in front. "You haven't gotten tired already, have you?"

"Shut up." Came the answer. Miki giggled.

"So how many spiders did you kill this time?"

"Never want to see another."

Meiko guffawed, slapping the green-haired fighter on the back. Cul fidgeted, looking on with mild interest.

* * *

"So what's the reward for all this?"

"And your reward is my eternal gratitude."

"… How 'bout you make that into physical form, eh?"

Ia, Miki, Meiko and Gumi dragged a cussing, thrashing Cul by the arms.

"But I worked so hard to get that darned thing! At least gimme _somethin'_!"

And thus went the fairly average day in the life of Gumi Megumi, knight-in-training.

* * *

**And there we have a wrap! It was supposed to focus more on Gumi, but... Cul got in the way. DX stupid Cul, why are you so interesting to write about?! **

**Thinking about that, I should do an introductory chapter for Cul. Because treasure-driven, chaotic neutral characters are fun to write. Speaking of alignment, Gumi would probably be (or think of herself as) Lawful Good with Neutral tendencies, while Ia would be Neutral good and Meiko would be Chaotic Good. Ah, DnD...**

**So. I shall see you later, peeps!**


	2. Chapter 2: of thieves and amulets

**Heya, Saucey here! Thought I'd upload this because I'm too lazy to make the Kagamines a birthday fic. Which makes no sense but shut up. On a side note, this was partially inspired by Synchronicity. Go check it out. Also kaoling.**

**Enjoy!**

**_Cul: the Thief_  
**

* * *

In a seedy looking tavern in a seedy looking town, a pretty seedy looking thief sits at a seedy looking table, peering into a seedy looking mug full of seedy looking beer.

That's a lot of seediness.

I think you may already know who this thief is, but we shall assume the benefit of the doubt, and introduce her.

Cul, the finest of all the underaged thieves in all of Modia*, Tunaria**, and possibly even into Chordarus***. Stark red hair, striking red eyes, a figure to die for wrapped in about a dozen different bandages and cloths. A plethora of hidden weapons everywhere. And, an empty wallet. Empty wallets make great incentives.

Cul never knew her parents. She hardly ever knew her caretakers, because she was so rebellious she ran away from the orphanage. However, Cul hates us telling people about her backstory, as much as you would like to read it, so we shall continue on.

A cloaked man approaches the seedy table and invites himself to a seat, and Cul doesn't move an inch from her heated staring contest with the ale.

"The Scarlet Fox, I presume?" He says, smugly. Cul almost forgets to answer.

"No, actually, I'm the blue whale."

The man starts, and draws back, as if he thinks Cul is serious.

"Nah, I'm just kiddin'." She laughs, and places her mug down. "You want my business, mister?"

'Mister' explains his business, in very thorough detail. Cul ignores every single word, excepting, perhaps, the words 'reward' and 'magic amulet'.

"Right! I'm in!" She agrees, standing up so fast her chair actually falls over. The man is thinking that she is drunk. "Tell me where to go!"

"I just did. Down south, in the Forest of Irony, in a little cottage of some description."

Said forest is actually called the Forest of Quel'th'saa, which means "Wishstone" in Elven, but, in Hobgoblin, means "Horrid death by torture". This is ironic because the forest belongs to neither Elves, nor Hobgoblins, but to the peaceful tree-folk, who have no language at all.

"Tonight. I set off tonight, _but…_" And here's where Cul's negotiating skills come in to play. "I'll need provisions for the journey. It's a long trip by foot to get to the Ironic Forest or whatever, so…"

The stranger takes a hint and deposits a hefty weight of silver on the table.

"Enough?"

"Yeah. I… I should think so."

And so begins the adventure which brings Cul closer than ever to the rest of the party, simply because of her greed.

* * *

The 'Scarlet Fox', as is her moniker, prowls through the store with an eye like a hungry wolf. Or maybe a ravenous eagle. She can't decide which one is better.

"Excuse me, sir," She says in the politest voice she can manage. "How much is the shortsword?"

The shop owner looks over, and sighs. "Ah, that, my lady, is a wakizashi. It is a kind of foreign blade that is specifically made for slicing."

Cul lifts the scabbard off its rack and eyes it with what she hopes looks like a convincing swordsman's eye. "May I see it?"

"If you wish."

The girl pulls on the handle and the metal slides out easily. She can't help but gasp. It is very pretty, shiny, and looks very expensive. Strange runes are carved into its surface. She gives it a few swings, and is surprised at how light it feels. It's almost like swinging a dagger. It feels like it was meant for her. She sheaths it once more.

"How much are you offering?"

"One hundred crowns."

Cul taps her finger on the scabbard in thought. Crowns are the gold ones, aren't they?

"How many silver in a gold?"

"Ten."

Cul opens her hefty sack of silver and peers inside. It doesn't quite seem like she has enough. Oh well, paying for things is boring, anyway.

"One hundred golds for something made of steel is a bit ripped off," She says haughtily. "I'm almost certain I saw one of these in a shop down the road. Cheaper, too."

"Where? What pric- I mean, of course. If you do not wish to pay the full price, then please leave.

"It's probably more beneficial anyways. The stuff here is in really bad condition."

The shop keeper finally snaps.

"Look here, missy. I only import the finest goods from all over the globe. Prices can't be expected to be cheap, can they?"

Cul just shrugs and turns to leave. "Stingy."

She leaves the shop keeper mulling in his own pity while she snoops out the rest of the store. A particularly wealthy man catches her eye as he bends over to inspect an ornate vase. A bag of coins swings on his hip. Almost hypnotised, Cul just about rushes in to take it, but her wits take over. No. She needs a distraction…

Perfect.

A few moments later and the man's belt has been sliced right through, and his pants were on the floor. Trying hard not to laugh, Cul snatches the bag while it is on the ground, cutting off the string looping it to the belt. Sniggering, Cul slinks away, unseen by anyone who may or may not have been transfixed by the man's underpants.

"Might this be enough?" The Red Fox says, slamming the bag of crowns down on the counter. The shop keeper looks surprised for only a moment before regaining composure.

"I… I should think so."

"That's what I thought."

In the end, Cul ends up buying a wakizashi, which will eventually become her most famed weapon, yet another hidden knife for her other boot and an empty map. Well, perhaps she _stole_ them. But that is besides the point. What is the point, you may be wondering.

The point is Ia. Yes, that Ia. I shall assume you have read the previous chapter and know who Ia is. If you haven't, then I shall spoil nothing.

The Forest of Irony is at least eighty miles to the south of Northdock, the town which Cul began this story in. eighty miles is a long way to travel for an impatient person such as Cul. For fear of losing interest in the mission, she steals a horse.

Now, riding on horseback is infinitely easier than walking, even if it makes lots of noise, insists on crapping everywhere, and sometimes gets distracted by food.

As such, the eighty miles (Tunarian miles, mind you) is covered easily within a matter of days. It is the forest itself which poses the most problems for our favourite kleptomaniac. Forests are well known to house a number of dangerous creatures, such as the giant spider, the giant huntsman, the giant redback and the giant man-eating wasp.

Cul had, by now, forgotten most, if not all, of her instructions, so she blunders blindly like the bold bandit that she is. Of course, it is only natural for her blundering to be more like quietly getting lost.

Her light boots find it hard pressed to make a sound on the forest floor, as much as she tries, so she gives up. Her wakizashi is coming to good use, swinging back and forth among the branches as if they were Hobgoblins. A thousand, or maybe more, eyes watch her at once, but disappear as she turns her back.

Hours pass without food, because her rations ran out, and without entertainment, which is even worse, and still her blade swings back and forth.

Back and forth. Back and forth. Back. Forth. Back. Forth. House. Back-

Wait, there's a house?

Cul suddenly remembers something with her insanely precise selective memory. A cottage in the Forest of Irony.

It sure looks like an ironic forest. And that house looks awfully like a cottage if you stand on your head.

Jumping out of her handstand, Cul finally springs into action. Proper, thief-y action. Her feet fly underneath her, back arched low, invisible underneath the swathes of cloths. And of course the door is locked.

"Dammit." She thinks, looking around the corner. "I'll have ta use a window."

Using her agility, Cul crawls through the window and falls as ungracefully as a cat to the floor. So far, so good. She takes another step, and the floor shifts slightly under her weight. She holds her breath and freezes, but it seems she has not been seen. Yet.

Her greedy eyes take in everything she sees, but she doesn't have her thieving sack with her or she would have taken everything. Fortunately for the owner of this house, she only has her eye on one thing.

Every room is searched thoroughly and checked for any secret compartments. None are found, so she only has one last room to check. It's a nice room, Cul will admit, but she has no time for appreciating interior design. There, on the table, lies a necklace. More specifically, an amulet.

Cautious, wary, Cul creeps forward. It is so, so very obvious that it is a trap, but Cul can't resist. It is just too pretty, too precious. Her hands snatch it before she realises, and she almost has it under her cloak when she hears a voice.

"Hello, stranger. Are you looking for something?"

Quick as a whip, Cul turns around and sees a girl about her age, long, flowing blonde hair under a hunter's hood. Her eyes are blue as the sky and hard as stone.

"Uh, yeah, actually, I jus' found it. I'll, ah, be goin' now, yeah?" She makes for the door, but is out cold before she gets there.

* * *

Cul wakes up with a splitting headache in an unfamiliar room. That's never a promising sign.

"Don't tell me I- Oh, never mind. I remember now." And she does. She remembers how the hunter knocked her out, and the thought is too embarrassing to bear.

"So, you finally woke up." The voice is the hunter's voice. It sounds a little off, fuzzy, but is still the same old stone-cold voice.

"Waddaya want?" Cul groaned. All of a sudden light floods her senses and blinds her. The window is opened.

"What do you want?" The hunter returns, holding up her amulet. Cul makes a feeble attempt to grab it but falls off the bed instead.

"Gunna get some good gold fer that one…" She murmurs into the ground. Strong arms lift her back up onto the pillow again. Cul's mouth moves faster than her brain.

"You're really pretty, ya know…?"

For the first time, the hunter ducks her head slightly and blushes, slightly.

"You're not going to catch me off guard, robber-"

"Whoa, whoa, hold ya horses," Cul cuts her off, deeply offended. "Please, if ya gonna address me like that, then use the term _thief_, or _organised burglar_ or _assassin._"

The hunter frowns. "Assassin?"

"Nah, jus' kiddin'. So, what were ya sayin' again?"

The hunter sighs, a deep, exasperated sigh.

"What. Were. You. Doing. In my house." She spells out. Cul bursts out laughing.

"YOU'RE house? Ha, I never woulda guessed! Nobody told me the house actually _belonged_ to someone! Ha! Gold!" Cul wipes the tears from her eyes and finds herself unconscious once more.

* * *

"Ow," The thief complains as Ia tends to her bruised head. "that hurts."

Ia says nothing.

"Are ya gonna keep doin' that?"

"I have to or else you may never heal."

Cul sniggers. "That's okay, I never really had much of a brain, anyways." She taps her head for extra emphasis. "Red head, remember?"

Cul's bandages, cloths, belts, boots, gloves, cloaks, head wraps and every concealed weapon is thrown in front of the fire. She sits in front of the hunter in her simple underclothes, as Ia tends to the mighty bruise on her head.

"Should be fine now." Ia says, and Cul gratefully stretches in the warmth of the fire. With a not-so-hidden grin, she turns around and sits behind the blonde.

"What are you-"

"Sh, sit still." Cul commands, picking up the ends of Ia's hair. "I'm doin' somethin'."

That 'something' is finished a few minutes later, and Cul stands back, proudly admiring her work.

"There. You look real pretty now."

Ia almost doesn't want to, but she touches the ends of her hair. Cul had braided them. How thoughtful.

"It… feels different."

"Trust me; it looks real pretty. Like a fiery, golden huntswoman, ready to kill some- GIANT SPIDERS!"

Ia does her own little chuckle. "Sure thing."

"No, for real! GIANT SPIDERS!"

And indeed, two giant spiders are lurking outside the window, peering in with beady black little eyes.

"Uh, I gotta get my stuff…" Cul whines. Ia facepalms discreetly. A few minutes longer pass while Cul struggles with her clothes, shoving a knife in each boot, a wakizashi to her back, a blowpipe to her shoulder and throwing knives in her sleeves.

"Let's rock."

The two bash open the door, alerting both monsters. Winning the initiative, Ia strikes first, whipping out a longbow and planting an arrow straight into the eye of one of the spiders. It hisses in anger and pain, and reflexively spit out a globule of spider poison. Cul dives out of the way in time, and the grass behind her sizzles and dies.

"Ouch." She remarks, but Ia is already notching another arrow. Cul plays around in her sleeve for a bit, allowing the unhurt spider to gain a bit of ground, until she struck out with her arm. Two throwing knives fly towards the spider, one hitting its mark and the other missing by a hair. With a curse, Cul draws her wakizashi, which unsheathes with a satisfying hiss. She swings it with the practice of someone who has never used a wakizashi before, and misses all three shots.

"Damn."

The spider lunges for her with astounding speed, for a ten foot tall hulking beast covered with hair. Cul is good at dodging, if anything, and jumps back. Ia nocks another arrow and lets it fly, striking the thing I one of its legs. Cul takes whatever hints she imagines Ia gave and thrusts the blade straight into its body, causing it to crumple like a deflated balloon. With a wince, she pulls out the blade with drips with blood.

"Gross." She curls her lip in disgust, but she has no time to wipe it on the ground as the next spider spits a sticky web at her. With a cry, her sword falls to the ground. Her arm is rendered useless!

"Ia! Help!"

Ia doesn't even look at the thief, instead, she concentrates on the spider. With a steady and practiced hand of someone who has been a hunter for many years, she releases the arrow. It hits some sort of weak spot and the spider falls. Cul's arm is freed.

"Aw, thanks, Ia!" Cul exclaims, grabbing her blade and wiping it thoroughly on the grass. It leaves a big black stain. "I dunno where my knives went though…"

Ia is in the process of unstringing her bow when she looks up.

"It looks like you're all better now." That stone cold voice again.

"Yup, thanks to you." Cul bows deeply. "Now, I'll just be off-"

"Not so fast."

Cul smiles nervously, like a child caught stealing cookies from a cookie jar. "Yeah?"

"I think you still owe me something."

"Eh…?!"

"For trying to steal this." Ia holds out her pendant. Cul looks on with greedy eyes. Ia snaps it back and hides it under her cloak once more.

"Whaddaya want me to do?" Cul asks, sceptical. Her brow is raised.

"See, there's this… family item of mine. It's hidden away in an ancestral tomb somewhere. I'm not entirely sure where it is, but… with a thief like yourself, it should be easy to find. Are you in?"

Cul snorts. "Of course! Count me in! Treasure hunting is my specialty!"

And so begins their journey, which leads them across the land of Tunaria and even Modia, until the accidentally run into Gumi and Miki… But that, my friend, is a story for another day.

* * *

*** Modia is a fictional continent which was used in another fic of mine, Rhapsody. I thought it sounded cool and fitted with the music theme.  
** Tunaria ia where my better fic, Three Wishes, is set. It is rather strange that the same locations should pop up in both fics, no?  
*** Chordarus is a made up country off the top of my head which may or may not have to do with anything.**

**So there. All wrapped up neatly. Sorry for the lack of action, but action bores me.  
These holidays I've recently grown a liking towards Steam. It's this online cloud thing for games. If anyone else has a Steam account, be sure to send me a PM or something, and maybe we can play together some time!**

**Have a merry Christmas, everyone! Stay safe, and may God bless!**

**See ya soon!**


	3. Chapter 3: of two pasts

**Hey y'all, welcome to another chapter of The Fantastic Adventures of Gumi and Co., which, as you may have noticed, has changed its name to The Party, because that is actually so much easier to say.**

**Now in case you missed the memo, this takes place several years before Three Wishes, but is NOT a prologue or anything in any way, and it is NOT necessary to read them both. But it is suggested.**

**This chapter was inspired by Frejya Sys. You should check it out!**

* * *

Gumi had grown up all her life in Gumiya's Knight school. In fact, she was even named after him, so they had said. Others said that she was named after the princess, until someone would point out that Gumi was, in fact, older by at least three years, to which the other person would joke about the princess being named after _her_.

Gumi never really thought about it until her fourteenth birthday. She hadn't actually seen the princess before then, so she had no reason to involve herself in these conversations, but when she saw an artist's rendition of the princess, she thought it was a painting of herself. The hair was cut differently, sure, and the face was rounder, younger, softer, than hers, and the eyes were more blue than green, but the similarities were shocking. She said nothing to Gumiya for fear of being ostracised. After all, green was a fairly common hair colour. So was the name Gumi. What of it?

On her fifteenth birthday, Gumi received her squireship. She was no longer a page now, and was allowed to wield a sword on her own. Of course, it wasn't her own sword; that would come later, if she passed her training. Gumiya seemed to hold good hopes for her, and her training became more solid, more rigorous. By this time she was tall for her age and broad-shouldered, more so than some of the boys who trained alongside her. Sometimes she would sneak into the stables and set up little targets, slicing them to shreds with her sword. Occasionally she even managed to sneak out a horse and go riding down the hill and along the track, but after she fell off and grazed her knees these occasions became fewer and far between.

Once, after Gumi had finished hacking away at a target, which was excellent for her physical strength but did nothing for her form, she thought she caught the eye of someone sitting on the roof. One blink and it was gone, so she thought nothing of it.

* * *

Cul was a street rat by name and upbringing. Her parents were mere street burglars, pickpockets and dishonest liars. Cul picked up some of these traits, tenfold.

When her parents left her for dead, and the city guard was close on her tail, she was taken in by the Thieves' Guild and never saw her parents again.

Sometimes, when Cul was little, she would dream. The dreams were twisted and weird, and she could never remember them in the morning, and she never spoke about them to her fellow thieves, but that lingering presence in the back of her mind was always there. For the troubled childhood she had, she was so good at hiding it that she almost forgot herself, unless that is simply a ploy, too, and one of the many masks she puts on.

When she was even littler, at the age of about six, her parents took her on a dangerous mission, the biggest yet. It involved the castle, the princess, and a lot of struggle. The only order she had was 'find the princess, Cul' and promises of treats when they got back. At the time, Cul had no idea why they were doing what they were doing, but if she'd been aware of the future, of the potential unrest, of the inability of this child to rule the country, maybe she would have been less confused. So she picked up the child, without it even screaming once, and took it to her parents, who were relieved, for some reason. Little Cul was left alone then, and thus began her life with the Thieves' Guild.

When Cul was but twelve, her knack for stealing became obvious. Had her 'family' known about the Great Royal Heist she took part in when she was six, perhaps they would have labelled her a demon, or sorceress, or something similar. As it happened, they did not, and instead, her prowess brought her fame, of sorts. By the time she was fourteen, she had succeeded in earning almost 1000 gold pieces for the Guild, and participated in over 100 specialised missions. Her footsteps were light, and she had an unnerving sense of direction and spacial awareness. If she had not had the concentration of a newt, perhaps she could have excelled in school.

Knowing that her level of thievery was beyond what the Guild could provide her, Cul left the Guild when she was seventeen and become a freelance agent. She made her home in a small property which she bought mostly honestly. Every free day when she was still in town, she would pass by a school, a special school where boys lined up and learned to chop at things. Sometimes she would have a dream she couldn't remember anything about, but afterwards she would always be compelled to sit on the fence and watch one lone kid swing about their sword. Once, she thought they made eye contact, but she knew she hadn't been seen. Nobody saw her when she didn't want them to.

* * *

When Gumi was sixteen, she left. She decided she had learnt all that she could, and left the school. Never once did she return.

* * *

When Cul was nearly nineteen, she was sent on what seemed like another random mission. And only weeks later, Cul and Gumi met for the first time.

* * *

And even though Gumi had never seen the thief before in her entire life, the way she quirked her lip into a smirk set her stomach churning with the memory of something lost, and when she heard that song, she knew they had met before.

Cul knew.

* * *

**What. What even. What even the fuck was this I don't even-**

**Anyway, I hope you got all that. Because I tried to make it fairly obvious, especially at the end. By the way, the 'song'... Just imagine it's Freyja Sys.**

**See you soon, maybe!**


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